E-scooters have 'changed the game' for Cork commuters, but experts say they are not without downsides

THE legalisation of electric scooters, or e-scooters, was discussed in the Seanad for the final time on Thursday, as the Road Traffic Bill 2024 completes committee stages and is ready to be signed into law.

Electric scooters have become popular in Ireland, particularly in city centres, over the last few years, but exist in a legal “grey area”.

While they are widely popular in Scandinavian and mainland European countries, many of these countries also have a large network of cycle paths.

In Cork, many who drive e-scooters are fearful of driving on the roads alongside motorists, but leave pedestrians fearful when they take their scooters to the footpaths.

Legislation

The new Road Traffic and Roads Act creates a new vehicle category called powered personal transporters (PPTs), which includes e-scooters.

The regulations for e-scooters, initially expected to be in place in the beginning 2024, have not yet been introduced, and e-scooters are not legal to use in public places until that time, yet the law is rarely enforced.

When introduced, the regulations will be wide-ranging and will specify the technical requirements for e-scooters and the conditions for their safe use, such as that e-scooters may not be used on footpaths or in pedestrianised areas.

The use of helmets and personal protective equipment (PPE) will not be mandatory, although strongly recommended by the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport told The Echo, “The necessary regulations will be put in place following completion of the passage of the 2024 Road Traffic Bill through the Oireachtas.”

Benefits

Jack Brennan uses an electric scooter to get around Cork city, and explained, “I get places quicker in the city in my scooter than I would in a bus or a car, it’s handy.”

He doesn’t have a car, but says “even when I get a car, I think I’ll still use my scooter to get around the city because it’s so much quicker, you need a car for long journeys but up around the city or up to Wilton, the scooter is way more convenient.”

Mr Brennan says he is “very vigilant” on the roads, but “cars sometimes disregard people on electric scooters.”

He added: “I’ve often got shouted at out the windows to ‘get off the f**king road’ but that doesn’t faze me, I know I’m not doing anything wrong.

“People in cars also have no problem pulling out in front of me cutting me off, it’s probably the same with bikes,” he said.

Green Party Councillor for Cork City North East Oliver Moran told The Echo that for a lot of commuters, especially younger ones, e-scooters have “changed the game” for getting to work or college.

“They’re affordable, convenient and more climate-conscious than a car. Unfortunately, the bus system is still too unreliable for many people, but e-scooters can give the same benefits of a car around the city, at nothing like the cost.

“Right now, they are in a grey area of being tolerated but strictly-speaking illegal,” he said.

“The new regulations in the offing will clean that up but, like any vehicle, people also have to use them courteously and be conscious of more vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians.

“The expansion of cycle lanes is something that the city can do for that. E-scooters are welcome in cycle lanes and it means their use can grow in a way that safely segregates e-scooters from pedestrians.

“Like cyclists, more often than not, e-scooter users ride on the pavement because that’s where they feel safer, away from cars.

“The reduction of urban speed limits to 30km/h later this year is another measure that will help. That’s a great leveller between all kinds of road users who share the carriageway together, motorists, cyclist and now e-scooters too,” he said.

Danger to pedestrians

There have been concerns that e-scooters can pose a danger to pedestrians, especially vulnerable people.

At the beginning of March, a man was charged with dangerous driving causing the death of a grandmother who was fatally injured following a collision with an e-scooter in Dublin last year.

Mary Bernie, who was in her 80s, was seriously injured in the collision, and died three days following it at the Mater hospital.

Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Advocacy and Policy Officer, Léan Kennedy, explained that a recent survey by the organisation showed that 53% of their clients have had a negative experience, such as a near collision, with e-scooters.

“ The effect of this is that it has really knocked people’s confidence going out and, as they worry about having e-scooter encroach on them.”

A big issue, she said, is their silent nature, meaning blind or visually impaired people cannot hear them coming, and “when you have a guide dog, the dog has no way of pre-empting or warning their owner of an obstacle or hazard approaching, all they can do is stop and that is really disorientating for the person.

“We have expressed our deep concerns over e-scooter use — we’re not against it, but we just want to ensure that the regulations are in place, so that blind or visually impaired people with a dog or long cane, or families with an assistance dog for their child with autism can feel assured of their safety out and about and wont’ be in danger of colliding with an e-scooter.”

They are calling for a proposed speed limit for e-scooters of 25km per hour to be reduced to 12km per hour, and pointed to other European cities where lower speed limits are the law at certain times or in certain areas.

“The risk of harm and danger to pedestrians is quite high, and the evidence is there,” Ms Kennedy explained, adding that research shows that less than half (47%) of e-scooter riders believe that riding an e-scooter on the footpath poses a threat to the health and safety of people walking on it.

Fire risks

E-scooters can also pose a fire risk as they are powered by batteries which can combust when over-charged, short-circuited, submerged in water or if they are damaged.

Victor Shine, second officer at Cork City Fire Brigade said that there had been several fires caused by e-scooters and e-bikes in Cork.

“The main reason they would go on fire is a phenomenon called thermal runaway in the lithium-ion battery packs,” he said.

“It starts with the failure of a cell in a battery, that cell goes on fire and heats the next cell so that goes on fire too, so it’s a runaway action, then the whole battery pad goes on fire.

“This can be caused from a battery pack being damaged from impact, something like a fall or a knock damages the battery.

“The second option is age — as the battery pack gets older the cells can become faulty, and the third is overcharging.”

He said that every e-scooter and e-bike fire they have dealt with has been inside a home where the vehicle was charging, adding that they can cause serious damage to houses and apartments.

“Some companies now have a policy of not allowing the charging of e-scooters in their premises,” Mr Shine said, adding that there should be a strict policy on where and when to charge them.